Portsoy
A long-defunct distillery at Portsoy, on the Moray Firth. Also known as Burnside.
Glenglassaugh
Distillery & brand
Situated just outside the village of Portsoy, Glenglassaugh initially looks to be a pretty traditional setup with an open-topped rake and plough mash tun, wooden washbacks and two stills.
Glenglassaugh distillery
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Only the presence of two stainless steel washbacks (part of a 1966 refurb) alters the impression that little has changed. The new style is medium weight and very fruity with a heavy honeyed floral character. Some peated spirit is also made.
Glenglassaugh History
A late-Victorian distillery, Glenglassaugh was built in 1874 by local businessman James Moir and 18 years later became part of Highland Distillers. It didn’t have a huge amount of time to prove itself as a downturn in the market saw it close in 1907 and not re-open until 1960, when once again the market was showing a sharp increase.
Blenders however found it a difficult customer, one of those highly individual malts which didn’t rub along particularly well with other elements in a blend. Had the single malt market been up and running in the 1970s its story might be very different, but its sheer awkwardness meant it was deemed surplus to Highland’s requirements when the whisky loch was filling in the early 1980s and firms were rationalising their estates. When it closed in 1986, no-one thought it would ever re-open.
Amazingly however it did. In 2008, a Russian-financed firm bought the plant and restarted production. In 2013, it changed hands once again, becoming the third member of the BenRiach Distillery Co. [with Benriach and Glendronach].
Although there is obviously a massive 22-year hole in stock, releases are being cleverly balanced between occasional (very) old bottlings and incremental works in progress from the new regime.
Glenglassaugh was purchased – along with Benriach and Glendronach – by Jack Daniel’s producer Brown-Forman in 2016.
Timeline
- 1874 Local businessman James Moir builds Glenglassaugh
- 1892 The distillery is acquired by Highland Distillers
- 1907 Glenglassaugh is mothballed
- 1960 The distillery is completely rebuilt following around 50 years of stop-start production
- 1986 Glenglassaugh is mothballed once more
- 2008 The distillery is saved from silence by the Scaent Group, which bought it for £5m
- 2009 Liquid is released from Glenglassaugh in the form of a new make and six-months-old
- 2012 A visitors' centre is built and a young new expression, Glenglassaugh Revival, is released
- 2013 The distillery is bought by the BenRiach Company; Glenglassaugh Evolution is launched
- 2014 Glenglassaugh Torfa, a peated malt, is released
- 2016 The distillery is purchased by US company Brown-Forman
Glenglassaugh Facts
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- Capacity (mlpa) i
- 1
-
- Condenser Type i
- Vertical shell and tube
-
- Fermentation Time i
- Minimum 60hrs
-
- Filling Strength i
- 63.5%
-
- Grist Weight (t) i
- 5
-
- Heat Source i
- Indirect steam
-
- Malt Specification i
- Unpeated malt, specific times in the year peated above 30ppm
-
- Malt Supplier i
- Crisps malt, Boort malt, Bairds malt
-
- Mash Tun Type i
- Traditional
-
- New-make Phenol Level i
- 0ppm, not measured in peated malt
-
- New-make Strength i
- 69%
-
- Single Malt Percentage i
- 100%
-
- Spirit Still Charge (l) i
- 7,000
-
- Spirit Still Shape i
- Boil ball
-
- Spirit Still Size (l) i
- 12,700
-
- Stills i
- 2: 1 wash, 1 spirit
-
- Warehousing i
- Racked
-
- Wash Still Charge (l) i
- 13,250
-
- Wash Still Shape i
- Boil ball
-
- Wash Still Size (l) i
- 17,200
-
- Washback Charge (l) i
- 26,500
-
- Washback Size (l) i
- 43,000
-
- Washback Type i
- 4 wood, 2 stainless steel
-
- Washbacks i
- 6
-
- Water Source i
- Glassaugh Spring
-
- Yeast Type i
- Mauri pressed
Owners
Parent company
- The BenRiach Distillery Company 2013 - present
Current owner
Previous owners
- Scaent Group 2008 - 2013
- Edrington 1999 - 2008
- Highland Distillers 1892 - 1999
- James Moir 1874 - 1892
Contact
- Address
-
Glenglassaugh Distillery
Portsoy
Aberdeenshire
AB45 2SQ
United Kingdom - Phone
- +44 1261 842367
- Visitor Opening Hours
-
- Monday
- 10am to 4.30pm
- Tuesday
- 10am to 4.30pm
- Wednesday
- 10am to 4.30pm
- Thursday
- 10am to 4.30pm
- Friday
- 10am to 4.30pm
- Saturday
- 10am to 4.30pm (May-Sept)
- Sunday
- 10am to 4.30pm (May-Sept)
Map
See also
-
Distillery
-
Distiller
Glenglassaugh Distillery Company
The story of Glenglassaugh distillery’s operator is a true phoenix-from-the-flames tale.